SPA Modeler

Well here is Bronco's 1/350 Type IX C U-Boat, to be built as U-505. I am modifying the kit to show her as she was on her last war patrol. So off we go.

the kit

the parts



as you can see, a low parts count... but there are PE railings.... grrr....

so anyways, to modify the kit to depict U-505 as on her last war patrol, one has to fill the hole for her forward deck gun mount. She did not carry one in Spring 1944.



so I sanded a styrene rod to fit



glued it in place... nipped off the excess




then sanded it flush




I deviated a bit from the instructions to speed up the build and finishing process... since I had learned some lessons on this on my Bronco Schnellboot that I built this Spring...

The hull is divided into upper and lower halves... I glued the screws, rudders and after dive planes in place... and some oval shaped fixture to the fore of the keel



and later the bow dive planes as well



Then I built the stand, since it will assist me in later steps for how to keep the kit somewhere during this project



then I added the few parts that I would to the upper hull and conning tower (an oops there learned a bit later)... support structures to the fantail (that broke during sprue removal and took a bit of time to fix and place)



and a screen type assembly to the conning tower (I know the U-boats did not have a radar, so I presume this is some sort of RDF antenna screen)



this left these parts for painting on the sprues and attachment later (while I Later decided to add the bow diving planes)



Up to this point took me a bit over an hour... perfect for Weekend Madness... Then came the part... adding the PE railings... many and almost another 90 minutes later I had them on...



along the way I decided to yank out the kit RDF antenna out and replace it with a bit of wire and mesh...

and then there was the easy bit of kit PE, the 37mm gun shield...



and after 3 hours, and 1 1/2 Whiskey on the Rocks to unwind, this is where it stands, all ready for primer and paint in the morning...



More to come tomorrow...

LOL! yeah, well I am doing this for Weekend Madness over on FSM... The PE rails really had me questioning my during that portion... dont worry the rest of the Whiskey was appropriately consumed afterwards...

Stikpusher wrote:tthe rest of the Whiskey was appropriately consumed afterwards...

there is a rule to consume whisley while building? Well then, OK
...

those two subs do look subish

As far as rules for drinking while building: sip, don't slurp... don't spill or otherwise waste your drink... become more cautious of the usual workbench hazards such as sharp objects and superglue...

More pics coming soon guys, I have the base colors on now....

And here we are as of T+26 Hours (actually a few minutes shy of that when I took the latest photos) on my U-boat...

in order of work done today

conning tower and parts to be mounted there primed with Humbrol Primer (#1)



and then later painted in a dark blue black color (Humbrol Tarmac). Researching U-505 says that she was most likely in DunkelGrau 51 on the Hull and Blaugrau 58 on the Conning Tower. Only Lifecolor and White Ensign Make that in their lines and neither are carried by any LHS, so I approximated...



Hull base coated in Tamiya German Gray





then I masked that off after giving it some time to dry and painted the upper hull sides with Model Master Acryl Marine Colors Dunkelgrau 51



then a photo with the conning tower placed on the hull for an idea of she will look when finished



detail painting on the conning tower fiddly bits



and finally a photo of all the wood horizontal surfaces painted with Floquil Weathered Black to represent the Teerfirness applied to the wood for camouflage and as a preservative against the sea water



I'm gonna let all this cure overnite before tomorrow's coat of Future, decals, washes, sealing topcoat and finally glue all the last bits in place...
No speed bumps today, a smooth session at the workbench

looks good to me. Every time I saw a sub it was a contact on the sonar stack.

Paul, that should be pretty easy to model, then! .....beep....ping.....boom.

Stik, you are a master of your universe! Well done.

Well, at least I am a master of something...

This morning I airbrushed on a coat of Future before decals, wash, flat coat and some dry brushing of highlights...



afterwards I proceeded with those finishing steps and wrapped this kit up a bit before 2:20 PM here. Well within my 48 timeline for the FSM Weekend Madness. So here were have Bronco's 1/350 Scale Type IXC U-Boat, U-505 as she would have appeared in May/June 1944 on her final war patrol












Hooray I finished something!!